A technical and economic analysis of three large scale biomass combustion plants in the UK

In the past there have been several reasons for not fuelling large scale power plants with biomass instead of fossil fuels. For example, fossil fuels have higher energy density, their costs had been relatively low until recently, the required (large) amounts of biomass have not been readily available and the cost and environmental impact of road transportation of large quantities of biomass were considerable. However, the impending scarcity of fossil fuels and their increased price, as well as environmental concerns, have led to renewed interest in the use of biomass for power generation. Many power plant operators have been encouraged by subventions to test cofiring of biomass with coal, which has often proved lucrative with little reduction in generation efficiency or significant impact on capital cost, and this, in turn, has increased familiarity with the characteristics of biomass, its handling, diminution, drying, storage and use at power plants and the details of its supply chain.